Hank Dewald | For rrspin.com
As a well known TV commercial used to say repeatedly, “Not exactly,” and that is apropos for The September Musicfest coming to the former Carolina Crossroads grounds this Saturday.
Does this mark the return of the Carolina Crossroads Outdoor Amphitheater? Not exactly. What one will see this weekend is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of the festival organizers, but those organizers are not Carolina Crossroads.
What they have created on the Amphitheater grounds is an intimate, but much smaller version of the facility, constructed around the side stage of the Carolina Crossroads facility. Not knowing the legality of naming such a facility, this writer would call it “Crossroads Amphitheater Lite.”
Ever since the failed Atlantic One Entertainment folks stole off into the night, leaving the outdoor amphitheater looking much as it had when the Carolina Crossroads folks managed it, the facility has sat unused; looking rather forlorn.
“We noticed the property was just sitting there unused, so we approached the Carolina Crossroads people and asked if we could possibly use it,” said Kenny Whitby, one of the event organizers. “They were nice enough to let us use it. They just told us, ‘Yeah, go for it.’”
Whitby is also a member of Southern Draw, one of the bands which will play this Saturday. He and his group are not new to organizing events, having organized and promoted the Roanoke Valley Country Music Jamboree in the past.
Having that experience on his resume’ made it easier for the hard-working group to attract some powerful help in the form of sponsorship. “The Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, Lori Medlin and her staff, have been providing a lot of help,” Whitby said. “The Roanoke Avenue Business Alliance (RABA) has also come on board and helped out a lot, too.”
“We’re using the side stage out there,” Whitby said, “We’re hoping to draw maybe 500 to 1,000 people and if this goes well, we’re hoping to do other things maybe two or three times a year. We’ve talked about a beach music festival and things like that.”
Whitby has also noted the local community’s desire to see the Carolina Crossroads facility reopen as it once was. “I think the area and the community; everyone I’ve talked to is glad to see something going on out there again. This is on a small scale, but the goal is to build it back up to what it was a few years ago. I’m not going to say that’s what will happen, but that’s what I’d like to see happen.”
Whitby and his crew have a rather unique idea for this festival, setting up the small area around the side stage to have what he describes as a small outdoor club atmosphere. “We’re going to have a small dance floor set up in front of the stage; there will be a big tent set up to provided folks with some shade; there are two concession stands; we just want people to come out, bring their lawn chairs and have a great time,” he said.
So can folks expect this weekend to be a return to Carolina Crossroad greatness? Not exactly, but this writer thinks festival goers will be surprised. With the very popular band The Switch headlining the show, and four other excellent local bands that cover the gamut of country music, beach music and rock-n-roll, there will be plenty of live music for every taste.
From conversations we’ve had with folks from Roanoke Rapids to Lake Gaston, the community is really ready to see live entertainment return to the area as it once was. As Roanoke Rapids Mayor Emery Doughtie said recently, “It’s time to forget the mistakes of the past; that’s over and there’s nothing we can do about them now. It’s time to move on looking toward the future.”
That sounds very much like what Whitby has in mind with this September Musicfest. His planning and hard work has been geared toward a small turnout, with an eye on larger events in the future.
The Saturday show begins almost as soon as the gates open at 1:30 p.m., with the band Shattered taking the stage at 2 p.m., followed by the Overtime Band at 3. Third Cove takes the stage at 4:30, and Southern Draw will play from 6:30 until 8. There will be an hour long break before headliner The Switch takes the stage at 9 and plays until 11 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce in the Visitor’s Center across from Wal-Mart, at Collier’s Harley Davidson, Digital Concepts on Roanoke Avenue and at Timeless Tea, also on the Avenue. There is one rule everyone should be aware of and that is “No coolers are allowed.”
Editor’s Note: Hank Dewald is the editor and Publisher of Lake Gaston Today, an online newspaper covering the Lake Gaston and Roanoke Rapids Lake area.
